The Word of Blake was a splinter faction of ComStar that was created out of a conservative backlash against the removal of ComStar's mystical and religious aspects. The Blakists initially took refuge in the Free Worlds League, but were able to move most of their operations to Terra after they conquered it in 3058. They perpetrated the Jihad in 3067, which ended with the defeat of the Blakists in 3081 and the reintegration of the remaining Blakists back into ComStar.

Upon the defeat of the Clans at Tukayyid at the hands of ComStar, Precentor Martial Anastasius Focht returned to Terra to confront the then-Primus Myndo Waterly about her Operation Scorpion, an attempt to turn the entire Inner Sphere over to the Clans. Focht shot Waterly in the back due to her perceived insanity. Focht later had ComStar archives say it was a cerebral hemorrhage. Word of Blake intercepts, however, truthfully state that Focht had her killed giving the reason he wanted to secure the power of her position. One week later, the First Circuit elected Sharilar Mori, Precentor Dieron, as Primus with Focht's backing.[1] Mori strongly favored making ComStar a more open, secular organization rather than the quasi-religious order that it had been in the past.

Meeting with Thomas Marik on Atreus, she convinced the Captain-General to grant her followers sanctuary in the Free Worlds League. Using ROM agents loyal to her, Precentor Aziz sent messages to every HPG station across the Inner Sphere, inviting all ComStar members who rejected the new ways in favor of the old to join her in exile. As ComStar refugees flooded into the Free Worlds League, Marik granted the Word of Blake splinter group a land hold on the world of Gibson.

The Blakists took over the administration of the HPGs in the League, as well as the Capellan Confederation a few years later. They used this considerable income from the stations, and the time, to train their forces.

Planning for the recapture of Terra began in 3057, when the Blakists sensed their opportunity due to the instability stemming from the Capellan-Free Worlds League assault into the former Sarna March. They were able to move their forces well within striking distance of Terra.

This preparation all paid off for them in 3058 when the Blakists conquered Terra in what they called "Operation Odysseus". This was achieved partially through trickery and partly through outright military force, as the Blakists had many sympathizers on Terra who covered up the Word's assault fleet until it was too late. In addition, the Blakists had managed to smuggle a sizable force onto the planet in disguise as the 21st Centauri Lancers, a mercenary regiment whom ComStar had just contracted. At the same time, the Word also dispatched forces to Venus and Mars. The conquest was complete months later when Precentor Klaus Hettig switched sides and brought the Titan Naval Yards into Blakist control. ComStar's Precentor Martial, Anastasius Focht, declined to attempt a liberation of Terra because he believed the Clans to be a greater threat.

After the conquest, the Word set about securing HPGs in the Chaos March, often engaging ComStar in running battles for the stations that resulted in the disruption of interplanetary communications. The Blakists generally took a propaganda approach that made sure of appearing to help the local communities, which in turn made the locals more receptive to the Word than to ComStar.

This situation came to a head in 3067 when the Word sponsored an insurrection of disaffected mercenaries on Outreach, led by Jaime Wolf's sworn enemy, Wayne Waco of the Waco Rangers. The early morning attack, which included the detonation of fuel-air explosives over the barracks of the Home Guard, took Wolf's Dragoons by surprise. Though they took a heavy toll, the Dragoons were able to rally and crush Waco's mercenaries. The Word also blockaded the Northwind Highlanders, another key member of the AMC, on their home world, Northwind.

At the Fourth Whitting Conference of 3067, the Capellan Confederation, Federated Suns, and Lyran Alliance all announced their intentions to withdraw from the Star League. First Lord Christian Mansdottir called for a vote of no-confidence, with the hopes that the measure would pass and they could force the dissenting member-states to stay. The vote failed however, even with the hasty admission of the Word of Blake and the Taurian Concordat. With the vote of no-confidence, the Star League disbanded. However, many Blakists believed in the interpretation of a prophecy that foretold they would come to power through the League, so they were understandably upset when it ceased to exist just as they were to have joined.

The Blakists resorted to threats to cajole the former Federated Commonwealth states to rejoin the League. Blakist WarShips appeared in the Tharkad and New Avalon systems simultaneously on December 5th, 3067,[4][5] bearing threats if the nations should not rejoin the Star League. When they refused, the WarShips opened fire and dispatched ground troops. The Blakists expanded their assault to include almost every power in the Inner Sphere. They attacked, and were responsible for some factions assaulting others, in an orgy of destruction that was their Jihad until 3081, when Devlin Stone's coalition was able to defeat the Word of Blake on Terra.

The Word of Blake was far too factional to be able to unite behind the First Circuit system that ComStar uses, with a large number of opposing factions and sub-sects of various sizes. Instead, the Ruling Conclave was composed of the heads of the the four largest factions and the Precentor Martial. [6]

The five factions significant enough to have earned a place on the conclave are as follows:

Counter-Reformists

The smallest faction on the conclave, they feel over time that Jerome Blake's word has been corrupted and may need to be revised in some areas, but not to the same extremes that caused the Word of Blake to split from ComStar originally. They approach dangerous ground with regards to their beliefs and how they are viewed by other members of the conclave. [6]

Expatriates

When Victor Steiner-Davion became Precentor-Martial of ComStar in 3062 many officers and officials who had remained in the order in the hopes of reversing the reforms carried out by Focht saw that the organization was unable to be redeemed in their eyes. As such many left for the Word of Blake and became Expatriates. The Expatriates often threw their weight behind the True Believers, until 3065 when many of its high-ranking members were unmasked as ComStar agents. In the light of this betrayal, the Expatriates ceased to be when the bulk of the sect switched their allegiances to other factions.

Toyamas

Named after fanatical Conrad Toyama who triggered the religious transformation of ComStar, the Toyamas are the most radical faction on the conclave and among the most splintered. They believe that Blake’s truth must be spread to the rest of the Inner Sphere by any and all means available, openly launching terrorist attacks against the Inner Sphere and even targeting other factions to enhance their own position on the conclave. The bulk of the most fanatical and terrible acts of the Jihad were committed by the Toyamas.[6]

True Believers

One of the moderate factions on the conclave, most true believers wish to come to a understanding with the rest of the Inner Sphere and Secular ComStar and are generally non-violent, however they are not pacifists. They feel that the Word of Blake should unify before it leads the Inner Sphere to the truth, often attempting to play middleman in the struggle between Blakist factions.[6]

Shunners

The least vocal but less splintered faction, the Shunners interpreted the works of Jerome Blake and the Schism as an indication that the destruction of the Inner Sphere was imminent and that the Blakists had to isolate themselves. Openly critical of the relationship with the Free Worlds League, after the seizure of Terra the faction's members moved en masse to a refuge dome on Venus in 3059, with the bulk killed after sabotage of the machinery maintaining the dome's atmosphere. While a number survived, the faction no longer had the numbers to remain on the Conclave and its position was taken by the Expatriates.[6]

All Word of Blake factions agree on a few points. They decry ComStar and its members as heretics for defying the ancient doctrines claimed to be the writings of Jerome Blake. They denounce as forgeries the recently discovered writings of Blake and mourn ComStar as lost, destroyed from inside, claiming that salvation is only possible by fleeing from ComStar's "corrupted vision" and joining the Word of Blake.

As most of ROM defected with Aziz, the Word of Blake is observed at every level by their ROM organization, searching out ComStar infiltrators and disloyal members, dealing with them as they see fit.

In 3064, during the Third Whitting Conference, Thomas Marik and PrecentorWilliam Blane speak out openly about the relations between the Free Worlds League and Word of Blake. Thomas Marik allowed an unofficial extra 3%-tip to all payments to Word of Blake. William Blane used their friendship and allowed Word of Blake to charge an extra 5%. Unbeknown to both an unknown faction inside Word of Blake regularly overcharged by 15% and nobody knows where this money went. They concluded that the "real" Thomas Marik must have been responsible.[7]

As of September 12, 3067, the Ruling Conclave of the Word of Blake consisted of the following members:[8]

The Word of Blake Militia began its life at slightly more than four divisions of troops, the Blake Guards, which retained the standard Com Guard numbering and were primarily tasked with defending Gibson. The Militia was twice that size in 3058, when the Word took Terra from ComStar and added another two divisions shortly thereafter. By the beginning of the Jihad in 3067, the Militia is rumored to contain over forty divisions.[9]

With the formation of the Word of Blake Protectorate, Cameron St. Jamais established an additional series of units to garrison the worlds. The Protectorate Militia members were drawn from local worlds to free up the Word of Blake Militia divisions for offensive operations.[10] These troops were later part of an uprising against Terra, apparently at the instruction of the Master.

The third armed force available to the Word of Blake consisted of the Manei Domini-led Shadow Divisions. These thirteen divisions were led by Precentor Appollyon and answered directly to The Master. Their appearance was totally unexpected and their tactics threw the armies of the Inner Sphere into serious confusion.

The ROM stands under the authority of the Precentor Martial. Each of the nine departments answers to their own Precentor who in turn reports to the ROM Director. It is believed that the Sixth of June movement has great influence on them.

Their main goal is to improve the relations between Word of Blake and other states. Operatives work to placate the population of the near Chaos March and Terra itself. On the other side, agents are also adept at in-depth intelligence through blackmail and coercion.

Covert Operations (Rho/Rho):Precentor Rho/Rho III Richard Mullaney

The agents perform "dirty" work like assassination, espionage and misinformation directed against ComStar, House Kurita and the former FedCom states. It is double - or even triple - the size of its ComStar counterpart.

Information Analysis (Mu/Mu):Precentor Mu/Mu V Clive Reordan

Through upgrades with Clan technology at the facilities on Terra, this branch can now operate at 100% efficiency.

These troops are on par with other elite commandos like the DEST. At the moment many units are active in the Chaos March. Their goal remain a mystery.

Purifying Light (Delta/Xl):Precentor Delta/Xi IV Tatyana Corsairre

The Blakists' special aerospace division. Their missions include counter-WarShip combat and they have support from Warships also. Several units of this branch are deployed at a unknown location in the IS at the moment.

Word of Blake Security (Mu/Iota):Precentor Mu/Iota VII Takaeo Yamashi

This division is a combination of Internal Obedience and Counterintelligence branches. Operatives maintain an "active defense" to thwart internal threats. They act independently or in conjunction with other ROM branches. Their traditional role was to protect HPGs and personnel.

This department is charged with maintaining fanaticism and devotion in the order at all levels. If one member is too critical with their opinion, they may draw the attention of the Internal Obedience and Counterintelligence.

Spiritual Enlightenment (Mu/Psl):Precentor Mu/Psi IX Garin Klien

Responsible for organization-wide indoctrination and training. Each subdivision has its own SE branch. It ensures that all members work towards the same goal.

The original version of this article was found on the former BattleTech 3056 MUSE and written by an unknown author. It has been since updated by BattleTechWiki Editors and is considered a different effort of work.